


Worth A Thousand Words

by starrywrite



Series: Robot AU [5]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Declarations Of Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Romance, Robot AU, Robots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 15:32:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2698025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrywrite/pseuds/starrywrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Phil loves Dan.</i>
  <br/><i>Dan’s chest feels tight, and he finds that he can’t meet Phil’s eyes right now. “You are a piece of machinery and I cannot love a machine,” he tells him, forcing the words out. “Just like a machine cannot love me.”</i><br/>Phil blinks and says again, “Phil loves Dan.”
  <br/><i>“Phil-”</i>
  <br/><i>“And,” Phil continues, his voice stabbing through Dan’s heart as he says, “Dan loves Phil?”</i>
  <br/><i>Dan sighs, defeated, because Phil’s right; Phil is always right. Blinking back tears he forces a smile and says, “Yeah… Dan loves Phil.”</i>
  <br/><i>— Even Robots Need Blankets</i>
</p>
<p>Phil may not understand what love is, but he knows that he loves Dan. And that is all that matters. </p>
<p>companion piece/deleted scenes for my fic "Even Robots Need Blankets"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth A Thousand Words

**Author's Note:**

> i'm literally never going to run out of love for this au/series hlep
> 
> sup sup suppity sup!!! so basically, i was thinking about robots/androids explaining things to their human counterparts, since they have the ability to look things up in seconds (liek siri) and then i thought about how love is not something easily explained and then i thought about dan trying to explain love to robot!phil because he doesn’t understand the concept of loving someone since he doesn’t technically have emotions like that and then i cried and then this fic was born!!! so plz cry with me and plz enjoy!! <3

Robots are smart, there’s no doubt about it. It’s all in the way they’ve programmed - they can solve any equation, define any word, search the Internet for anything you would desire all in seconds. Anything you can think of whether it’s the solution to an equation, the capital of a foreign country, even who won last night’s football match, if you ask a robot they will have the answer for you in under a minute, and in any language you desire. In this day and age, where robots are the new iPhones, bots have basically become an advanced version of Siri but with legs and slightly more sass, depending on the model. 

Even Phil, who has been describe as _obsolete_ and _defective_ , is as smart as any other first or second generation robot. He can look up and define anything Dan asks him to - even the things Dan doesn’t ask him to define or look up, Phil can do it, and at top speed too. No one would ever know that he was left for dead with a battery life so dangerously low, no one would’ve suspected that when he met Dan he had a damn near fried processor, no one would ever guess that he had caught a virus and had to relearn simple things, such as talking, all by himself - a bug that now has him speaking in the third person. Because even though the nuts and bolts of his insides may be a bit rustic, on the surface, Phil is as smart as any other robot, even _he_ knows that.

Which is why he is so frustrated right now. 

It had all started when he and Dan were watching a film together - Dan described it as a “chick flick” and Phil was very disappointed when they started watching the movie to see that there were no actual baby chicks in the movie. Within the first few minutes, however, one of the main characters proclaimed his declaration of love towards another character, exclaiming the words “I love you!” in front of a crowd of several hundred people, which received an outlandish reaction from the audience - the girl included.

“I love you” Phil has heard the words before, in movies and on TV and out of the mouths of people passing him by on a daily basis. He’s read the words in books and online, seen the word “love” in numerous advertising campaigns Love is everyone, it seems, but Phil just doesn’t understand what love actually _is_? What does it _really_ mean when you tell someone you love them?

Sinc hadn’t been paying attention to the chick flick without any actual chicks in it for a while now, he decides to a quick search of “love” in hopes of clearing up his confusion, but the results he stumbles across seem to only confuse him more. 

_Love is a true source of happiness and doesn't cause pain._

_Love is a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection ("I love my mother") to pleasure ("I loved that meal")._

_A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend._

_Love is an incredibly powerful word._

How can one word have so many vast meanings? And how can it apply to so many situations? How can you love a person but also love a mean? Can you have a warm, personal attachment to an object and a person? And how is it such an incredibly powerful word if people use it so often? Surely it should be saved for special occasions, like at your high school graduation. 

Phil can’t help but to beep dejectedly; he doesn’t know why he can’t grasp an understanding of “love” - is it because he is truly obsolete? Are his differences compared to other, _normal_ , robots finally catching up with him? Can other, _normal_ , robots understand what love is? 

“You alright there, buddy?” Dan asks when he notices Phil’s sadness - for lack of a better word, seeing as Phil is a piece of machinery and technically cannot experience emotions like joy or sadness. Maybe that is why he can’t understand love; because he can’t feel it. 

The robot turns to look at his human companion and he asks, “What is love?” 

Dan’s cheeks tint pink. “Oh, um,” he stutters and scratches the back of his head. “I - it’s kind of hard to explain Phil. Love is… it’s more of a feeling, rather than a word, if that makes sense?”

“It doesn’t.” Phil replies bluntly. “Maybe it is because Phil does not have feelings,” he adds sadly, his bright blue eyes going downcast as he speaks. 

“Oh, Phil, you have feelings!” Dan insists, and he pauses the movie to put his full attention on Phil right now. “How do you feel when we go for walks and you see dandelions growing through the cracks of the pavement?” 

Phil pauses for a moment, unable to answer.

“You feel happy, don’t you?” Dan presses. “You know, happiness.” 

“Happiness,” Phil says slowly. “A mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.” he pauses again and takes a moment to think about it. He does feel rather pleasant when he sees dandelions, and he comes to the conclusion that other aspects of life that provoke happiness in him and he never even realized it. “Phil feels happiness?” he asks Dan, perplexed by this.”

Dan smiles. “Yeah, you do,” he tells him. “And you didn’t even realize that you felt happiness, but you felt it anyway, right?” when Phil nods in agreement, Dan continues, “Well, that’s kind of what love is. It’s a feeling and sometimes you don’t even realize that you love someone or something, but that doesn’t stop you from loving them.” 

Phil blinks, trying to take all of this in. “What does loving feel like?” he asks Dan.”

“It’s subjective,” Dan says. “Different people feel different things when they love someone.” 

“Oh,” is all Phil says for a moment, and then he asks, “What does Dan feel like when he loves?” 

Once again, Dan’s cheeks flush pink and Phil decides that, for whatever reason, it makes him feel happy when Dan blushes. Maybe that’s what feeling love for someone is like; you don’t know why you feel that way, but you do anyway. “Uh, well,” Dan starts, and he fiddles with the hem of his jumper while he collects his thoughts. “I don’t know,” he finally admits. “Its complicated, because I have different kinds of love for different things and people.”

“Explain, please?” Phil asks him, eager to know more about love and the different kinds and all of the feelings involved in loving. 

“Uh, okay,” Dan bits his lip. “Well, I love my favorite band, right? And when I listen to their music, it makes me feel very happy. But it’s different from saying I love my family because they don’t make me happy - well they do, but not in the same way that Muse does. And I have a personal attachment to my family, and I don’t with music - well, I kind of do, but it’s a different kind of attachment.” 

Phil beeps dejectedly again. “Phil is confused,” the robot says sullenly. 

Dan sighs a little. “That’s because Dan is very bad at explaining things,” he tells him. He’s silent for a moment and then he says, “Love is confusing, though, it’s like an emotional rollercoaster. When you love someone you feel happy, and you feel giddy, and euphoric, and sometimes you feel sad. When you love someone, you’ll do anything for them because them being happy makes you happy. When you love someone you want to be always be with them because being with them just makes you feel over the moon. When you love something, you feel a deep, personal attachment toward it or a certain kind of affection towards it; sort of like your heart has pointed to it and said _that’s mine_.” 

“Hearts do not have hands,” Phil points out. “Or voice boxes.”

Dan smiles a little. “I wasn’t being literal,” he explains. “But when you love someone or something, that person or thing has a special place in your heart.” he pauses again and sighs, shaking his head. “I probably sound ridiculous right now. I’m sorry I can’t explain it any better, Phil. Love is a really complex feeling and it’s not easy to explain how love feels; you just _feel_ it.” 

Phil takes a moment to consider what Dan has told him; he still doesn’t understand what love it and he knows Dan has tried his hardest to explain it, but his explanation isn’t making much sense to him. “Love is weird,” he decides.

Dan chuckles a bit. “Love is very weird,” he agrees. “But,” he adds a moment later. “For what it’s worth, I love you Phil.”

Phil beeps, startled, and he thinks if he had a heart it might actually stop. “Dan loves Phil?” he asks. No one has ever loved him before. 

“Yeah,” Dan confirms. “Dan loves Phil.”

“How does Dan know?” Phil asks, because he’s oh so desperate for answers.

“Because,” Dan is blushing again and it makes Phil beep happily. “When I’m with you, I can’t stop smiling because you make me so happy. And hanging out with you is always my favorite part of my day - even when I’ve had an absolute shit day, I know that when I come home and spend time with you, I’ll feel better. And I think about you a lot when we aren’t together; sometimes I worry if you’re okay or lonely, other times I’m just wondering what you’re up to. And…” Dan rubs the back of his neck, anxiously. “I don’t know, I just think you’re the best person in the world, and it doesn’t mean anything to me that you aren’t even an actual person because you’re so better than any human I know. You’re my best friend, the best friend I’ve ever had, and I love you.” Dan shrugs a little. “It’s as simple as that; I love you, Phil.” He pauses for a moment. “I guess to put it in a way that you’ll definitely understand - you know how you feel when you see dandelions growing in the cracks of the pavement? That’s pretty much how I feel about you.”

Phil considers everything Dan has told him and applies it to his own personal experiences, and the more he thinks about it the more he realizes that when he’s with Dan he feels the same way he does when he sees dandelions growing in the cracks of the pavement. Maybe, just maybe, that is what love is. “Phil loves Dan too,” the robot says after a moment of silence, and the smile on Dan’s face has never been wider. “Yeah,” the robot nods confidently, and once again, he has that feeling he gets when he finds dandelions outside of Dan’s apartment, only this time those feelings are directed at Dan. “Phil loves Dan.” 

In the end, he assumes that Dan was right. Because Phil may not understand what love is, but he knows that he loves Dan. And that is all that matters.

**Author's Note:**

> for anyone who was curious, since i was vague as hell while describing it, the movie Dan and Phil are watching in the fic is "I Love You, Beth Cooper" - 10/10 would bang btw :^)


End file.
